Envy

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Boom!

Two words could sum up this custom guitar: Show Stopper.

From the get-go it was slated to be something special: scalloped fretboard, dragon inlay, deep trans green finish, all-chrome hardware. Like other favourite builds this one required me to learn and grow during the process. I spent nearly a week honing specialised pearl inlay engraving tools and techniques before venturing near the inlaid shell in the headstock. Scalloping the fretboard was intuitive and fun.

Imagine what it’s like to pull your guitar out of its luxurious padded soft-case, straight up revealing your own initials front and centre in the headstock. Epic.

Unique Woods

Envy’s timber composition is a blend of American Walnut (neck, body main), Gombeira (fretboard) and QLD Maple (bookmatched cap). These are all very study woods so deep chambering was employed to keep the weight down.

Both body woods were hand-stained using multiple applications of transparent dye, followed by three individually-baked applications of water-based acrylic lacquer before buffing and polishing.

To The Power Of…

Everything in this build screams Quality!

Schaller rear-locking tuners

Jescar medium wide-low stainless frets

Schaller Vintage tremolo

Chrome-plated brass hardware

Eyes On The Prize

It’s not always the case but this was another instance where the customer had a clear vision and certainty around likes and dislikes – a framework where I could add in some innovations and specialised knowledge and then bring the dream to life.

Unseen innovations hidden in this build are:

Carbon-fibre neck reinforcement

Solid brass threaded neck inserts

Internal strap pin reinforcement

Weight-shedding internal chambering

That Feel, That Tone

There are two things that players commonly say when they pick up their custom:

OMG that neck carve fits like a glove

I never knew a neck pickup could sound so alive

Envy is no exception. These are details that make a real ‘custom’ actually that. Envy’s neck was carved for short, strong fingers and given a fretboard radius that complemented the player’s eclectic rock-driven style. The pickups were hand-wound to blend rich gain at the bridge (no mean feat on a floating tremolo guitar) with clarity and aliveness at the neck. Asymmetric coils feature in both of the AlNiCo V-driven humbuckers, delivering 8.1kΩ and 13.5kΩ at the neck and bridge respectively.

I spent a lot of time researching my options and found a few likely candidates, however none of the off-the-shelf high-end guitars had everything I wanted.

My journey resulted in me crossing paths with Richard Lucas from Lucas Guitar. From the first meeting I immediately felt comfortable – Richard understood what I wanted and was very consultative and thorough in his approach.

My build was definitely challenging and unique, however Richard relished the challenge at hand. His ability to learn and master new techniques amazed me. He undertook the build with the attitude “Nothing is impossible”.

The result is a functioning piece of art with the precision of a Swiss watch. From the first moment I picked up my guitar it felt part of me and was instantly comfortable to play. The key word is “Custom”, no off the shelf guitar – even the custom-shop variants – are truly “Custom”.

If you want your “Dream Guitar” to become a reality Richard Lucas is THE MAN. An artisan and perfectionist with a can-do attitude.